Four area seniors were honored as September Scholars by the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville

Named as "Scholars of the Month" by the Westfield-Mayville Rotary Club at its Sept. 25 meeting at The Parkview in Westfield were seniors (left to right) Gabrielle Carris, Sherman Central School; Olivia Clamp, Westfield Academy & Central School; Megan Strine, Chautauqua Lake Central School; and Madeline Brogan, Brocton Central School.

Since 2002 the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville has given over 700 area high school students the distinction of being “Scholars of the Month,” thanks to the efforts of Rotarian Dan Smith, Youth Services Chair, and his committee members. At this Rotary Club’s meeting on Sept. 25 at The Parkview in Westfield, four outstanding seniors received their recognition. They were Gabrielle Carris, Sherman Central School; Olivia Clamp, Westfield Academy and Central School; Megan Strine, Chautauqua Lake Central School; and Madeline Brogan, Brocton Central School.

School officials nominated the students to receive their awards. Present for the special program were 34 parents, relatives, school administrators and Rotarians. Mary Swanson, Club President, welcomed everyone. Following dinner, Rotarians Dan Smith, Luci Petrella and Sheila Chapman gave a summary of the students’ accomplishments. The four seniors announced their future plans, and each received a framed certificate and congratulations from the club president.

Gabrielle Carris, a Sherman CSD senior, is the daughter of Gordon and Melissa Carris of Sherman. With a current grade point average of 4.0, this outstanding senior is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a recipient of the leadership scholarship from the University of Rochester.

Carris plays the flute in the high school band, and she is a member of the yearbook club. She has been the captain for her junior varsity basketball team, and is on the basketball and softball teams. Also, she is a scorekeeper for the girls’ volleyball team.

In addition, Carris works at her school’s fitness center, as well at Webb’s Captains’ Table in Mayville. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and urban exploring, and she loves finding different cafes at which to grab an iced coffee.

After graduating from high school, Carris plans to attend college at either Brockport, Potsdam, Canton or Buffalo State. She intends to major in Criminal Justice and take the necessary steps to have a career with the FBI or the Secret Service, though Carris says, “If my plans change, I just want to reach a goal that makes me happy.”

Olivia Clamp, a Westfield Academy and CSD senior, is the daughter of Douglas and Joan Clamp of Westfield. Enrolled in six Jamestown Community College courses in the subjects of english, math and music, clamp will have earned 19 college credits through JCC upon her graduation.

For local credit, Clamp enrolled in Advanced Placement Microeconomics and is currently taking We the People, Functional Anatomy of the Limbs, Spanish 4, Psychology, Sociology and additional graduation requirements. She will graduate in June 2019 with a Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation.

Clamp is a member of the National Honor Society, Key Club and Environmental Club, and she is a four-year member of the varsity tennis team. She was selected as a WACS Student of the Month during her junior year, and she attended the Chautauqua Young Writers Institute during her senior year.

Also, she is a member of the Senior High Chorus, Westwinds (a select choral ensemble) and Firecrackers (an all-female choral group). She plays the oboe in the Senior High Band and is a member of the McClurg Street String Band. Clamp has held roles in her school’s drama productions, including in “A Christmas Carol,”“Into the Woods,” and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” She has earned several scholarships in music, including the Bud Beadle Scholarship, the Katie Mansfield Scholarship, and the William C. Ross Award.

Outside of school, Clamp is a member of the Bonnie Lock Fiddlers. She also volunteers for the Ashville Free Library, the Boy Scouts of America, and the First Baptist Church of Jamestown. By the end of her junior year, Clamp performed over 250 hours of community service. In the fall of 2019, she will attend Jamestown Community College for two years and then SUNY Fredonia for two years in order to pursue a degree in Elementary Education and Special Education.

Megan Strine, a Chautauqua Lake CSD senior, is the daughter of Marty and Patty Strine of Ripley. She consistently earns Honor Roll status, and she will graduate in June 2019 with an Advanced Regents Diploma with Science Endorsement.

She has been named a CLCS Student of the Month, and participates in various school activities. Strine is a member of and past secretary and president of Student Administration. Also, she was a member of the modified and varsity soccer teams during her 9th and 10th grade years, respectively.

Her community activities are extensive. Strine has volunteered countless hours for the First Baptist Church of Ripley, including its Sunday School, Widow’s Luncheon, Operation Christmas Child, and Vacation Bible School, where she provided snacks. Her other endeavors include the Ripley Health Community Conversation, doing yard work for elderly Ripley residents, and being employed as a cashier and server at the Sweet Spot in Mayville.

After graduation, Strine is planning to attend a four-year university, such as the University of Akron, SUNY Fredonia or Washington & Jefferson College, where she will pursue a degree in either Accounting or Social Studies Education.

Madeline Brogan, a Brocton CSD senior, is academically at the top of her graduating class and has a current cumulative grade point average of 96.4. She will have earned nine Jamestown Community College credit hours by the end of her senior year, and she will graduate in June 2019 with an Advanced Regents Diploma.

Since her seventh-grade year, Brogan has been a member of the Junior and National Honors Society. Last year, Brogan was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville to attend the Rotary District 7090 Student Leadership Award Program for Students High on Training (SLAPSHOT) in Ancaster, Ontario. This past summer she was sponsored by the John W. Dill American Legion Post 434 to attend the Empire Girls State program at SUNY Brockport.

A leader in her school, Brogan is the president of the senior class, and also served as the president of the freshman and junior classes. She is vice president of the National Honor Society, and served in the same role during her junior year. Also, she has been playing soccer since kindergarten, and this year she is the captain of the Brocton-Westfield Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team.

In addition to school and sports, Brogan works at the American Legion in Brocton and she enjoys volunteering with the Rotary Interact Club, of which she has been a member for three consecutive years. Her favorite service project is the Preventative Angels. For this project students conduct fundraisers and use the proceeds to support a family in need by purchasing new clothing, toys and house essentials for Christmas. About this Brogan states, “It’s a fun way of giving back, and it is nice knowing that people in need were helped.”

In her future, Brogan plans on attending college to major in Biomedical Sciences and then enrolling in medical school to become an anesthesiologist.

It is with great pride that the Rotary Club of Westfield-Mayville congratulates Gabrielle Carris, Olivia Clamp, Megan Strine and Madeline Brogan on their outstanding academic achievement, leadership, volunteer service and many extracurricular accomplishments, and it wishes them much continued success in the future.